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Monday, September 28, 2015

Fun Fall Weekend Highlights

What a beautiful weekend! I hope you also enjoyed some great weather, because I am loving the cool, fall weather. I managed to fit a few fun activities into my weekend, while also catching up on housework and fitting in some exercise. Aren't those the best weekends?

Here are some highlights of my weekend- linking up with Erin and Katie!

As I mentioned in my weekly workout recap, I took a trip down to Ohiopyle State Park with Dan and Selma on Saturday morning. This is a huge park about an hour southeast of Pittsburgh. It's popular for White Water Rafting and Kayaking (which I've done before and highly recommend), as well as hiking and biking. Dan had never been there before, so I thought it would be a fun weekend adventure!

We started our hike around 10AM, and quickly found a beautiful spot to have a little picnic. The trail is really easy to follow- we parked in the small parking lot right before you get into town (it's directly after the train tracks and before you cross the bridge). There's a trail head in the corner of the parking lot that will lead you to the Great Allegheny Passage trail and the Ferncliff Trail. We just followed Ferncliff towards the river (about 1/2 mile) and sat down to enjoy our food and the view.

As you follow the river, you can see more and more rapids. It's really beautiful here, and the weather was perfect! It's definitely getting chillier and felt like fall (finally!). There are a few difficult areas to walk at the beginning of the hike, but it's relatively easy with lots of beautiful sights.

After we finished the hike, which is about 2 miles around the Ferncliff Peninsula, we headed to the other side of the river to walk around town and see more views of the rapids.

On Saturday night, Dan and I went to Steffany's house for dinner! We were in the minority because we- #1 didn't run Akron earlier that day, #2 weren't running the Great Race on Sunday, or #3 aren't pregnant (or a combination of multiple categories like most of the others there!). We were basically free loading the food, which was delicious! Dan and I are now semi-seriously considering moving a few doors down from them, and I have a feeling we would be frequent visitors during dinner!

We also played Cards Against Humanity...and I can not share any more information or pictures. If you've ever played that game, you know that what happens during CAH stays in CAH.

Sunday morning was very interesting for me- my plan was to wake up at 5:00 and head to North Park Lake to run 12 miles, then come home in time to cheer on the Great Race 10k down the street from my apartment. I go to the lake all the time in the morning to run and it's always crowded, so I figured it wasn't a problem. Big mistake.

I get to the lake at 6:15 and it's completely dark and empty...except for one car sitting in the dark parking lot. I got freaked out and immediately drove all the way home (which is about 30 minutes away). When I got home, it finally dawned on me that I could always watch the race, then go running. Why this thought never popped into my head before, I will never know. I did get to nap for an hour or so, which was great!

Anyway, spectating the Great Race was fantastic! We were situated about a mile into the race, so there was still a huge crowd from the first runner to the last. It was so fun to watch and I ended up spotting a few friends that were running the race!

What a fun weekend! Your turn..What did you do this weekend?Do you go hiking? Where is your favorite place to go?What is the craziest thing you've seen during a race?

Ha ha! Somebody ran as a cake! That is absolutely brilliant. I don't think I have ever seen anything like that during a race. Well, you know how my weekend went, but it all ended okay enough so Andrew and I got into the wine and ended up posting a picture of my bare bum on Facebook as my version of last night's super moon. An hour later I was mortified and deleted it, but probably after all of my friends and family saw it. Sigh...

I have seen naked people-absolutely disgusting. I am so glad you decided to go home that could have been a bad decision if you stayed. I would love to live on a race route. I would be the one handing out Mixed drinks and pizza. Maybe when we move that will be a requirement!!! I am glad you had a fun weekend, I did not do much. bakingrunner.blogspot.com

I'm not even a mile into the race, so I hope people wouldn't be grabbing alcohol yet! That would be a very bad sign ;) It's definitely neat to be on a route and this was my first time spectating a race!

I always love reading about your weekends and your pics are so beautiful! I haven't been White Water Rafting since college, but I loved it and hope to do it again one day. The person in the cake running is hilarious. I never mastered the art of juggling, so I certainly can't imagine doing it while running. So impressive! Have a great week, Gretchen!

Your snaps from that hike you went on were beautiful! It made me feel guilty for not spending more time in nature like that! Maybe when the weather cools a bit here! Also, I vote yes to moving a few doors down from your friends! It is SO nice to have close friends within walking distance!!